Liverpool fans described screaming at police officers to help as they were crushed in the pens at Hillsborough.

The court heard evidence from supporters who were at the semi-final on April 15, 1989.

Fan Gary Gains said he lost his friends in the crowds outside the Leppings Lane turnstiles and then entered pen three through the central tunnel.

He said he moved down the pen and ended up near a crush barrier.

He told the jury the force of the crowd pushed him into a boy of about 15 or 16, who was in front of him and pressed against the barrier.

The court heard he tried to help the boy in front but it was “impossible” and he continued to be pushed into him.

He described hearing the boy’s knee crack and hearing him scream.

When asked what the police were doing at this time, Mr Gains said: “Nothing.”

He told the inquests: “Long before the lad’s knee had been pinned against the barrier, we were screaming to the police then that there were people dying in the terrace.”

Mr Gains said the crush barrier then collapsed and he fell on top of the boy, with other people falling on top of him and pinning him in.

Mr Gains said he was eventually pulled free by two Liverpool fans and taken into pen two, before being moved onto the pitch.

He was later carried to an ambulance by two police officers and treated for a sprained and cut ankle and shock in hospital.

The inquests also heard from David Cruice, who gave evidence via a videolink from Miami.

He told the court he and friend Andrew had gone into pen three and stood by a crush barrier in the back half of the pen.

Shortly before 3pm he said he felt the crowd intensify and they were forced against the barrier.

He added: “It was really just an extremely condensed mass of people.”

He said Andrew was bent over the barrier.

He added: “It became clear at that point that, I’ll be honest with you, if I didn’t get him off the barrier, I think he was going to die.”

He said he shouted for help from fans around him.

He told the court: “I just remember when I sort of shouted or screamed for people to help Andrew, it just seemed like all these hands came over him from behind him and started pulling him back off the barrier as best they could, even given the distress that people were in themselves, they were still doing everything they could to you know, help others.”

Mr Cruice said he moved in front of the barrier but as he attempted to pull Andrew round he felt a pressure coming diagonally through the crowd.

He said: “He was looking at me and I was looking at him and we just got separated and I couldn’t hold onto his hand anymore.”

Mr Cruice was moved down the pen and said his arms were trapped by his sides in the crand he was fighting for breath.

He described shouting for police to open the gate from the pen onto the pitch.

He said: “The crowd, as well as myself, we were screaming for the police to open that gate, for what seemed like a very, very long time but I think, I think the police were under the impression that we could simply move back to relieve the pressure at the front.

“People were screaming for them to open the gate, open the gate, they were shouting, you know, people were dying in here, people were distressed but I don’t think they realised where the pressure was coming from.”

He said the gate was opened as the pressure started to ease at between 3.08pm and 3.10pm and he then returned to try and find his friend, who he found supporting himself on a crush barrier.

Supporter Ian Devine told the inquests he had climbed out of pen three into neighbouring pen two - which was relatively empty - after the crush started.

He said he and his friend Paul had climbed over the fence dividing the pens but their friend Geoff had not followed.

He added: “In pen three there were people pushed against the front railings. There were people trying to get over the railings that were then trying to get onto the pitch, which they couldn’t do because at one stage there was people pushing them back into the crowd.”

He was asked what kind of people were pushing them back into the crowd and answered: “Police.”

He told the court he was eventually let out onto the pitch and found his friend Geoff, who was injured.

He said they took him to the gymnasium where they were told to take injured fans to one side and dead to another.

He said: “We were shocked, because I remember me and my mate looked at each other and went ‘dead?’ because we didn’t realise anyone had died.”